'Vicious' killing left 'bloody trail' around suburban front yard

'Vicious' killing left 'bloody trail' around suburban front yard

Geoff has been working in regional news since 2010 when he started at the Chinchilla News. He since worked at Ipswich's Queensland Times and the central reporting team NewsRegional. He focuses on data journalim, politics and crime.

A MAN has been jailed for a "vicious” Christmas Day killing that left a "bloody trail” around a suburban Morayfield front yard.

Dallas Glenn Kincaid Dean , 35, was sentenced at the Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday to 11 years jail after being found guilty at trial of the manslaughter of Robert "Jessie” Jordan.

On Christmas Day 2012 Dean as well as his defacto partner's two brothers Anthony David Joseph Phillips, 29, Douglas Allan Phillips, 25, and friend Michael Robert Selmes, 24, had been heavily drinking at the Phillips family house.

After hearing a well-known family story that Mr Jordan had abused his partner, Tara Phillips, the four concocted a plan to track Mr Jordan down and bash him.

The court heard no evidence that Mr Jordan had abused Ms Phillips.

They found the house Mr Jordan was staying at in Morayfield where the Phillips brothers coaxed him out of the house.

The four then attacked Mr Jordan - punching, kicking and stomping on him, leaving what Justice Jean Dalton described as a "bloody trail” around the yard.

"The assault was a vicious assault by four relatively fit, young, drunk and enraged men,” she said.

They left Mr Jordan with severe bruising on his face and internal injuries that lead to his death. Dean placed Mr Jordan in the recovery position before the four left.

Justice Dalton rejected suggestions made at trial that the attack was spontaneous and said the four had spent time planning their attack.

The court heard Dean had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter before the trial.

Justice Dalton said she believed there were positive traits to Dean's personality that could help his rehabilitation.

He was sentenced to 11 years jail with the 1355 days he has spent waiting for sentence declared time already served.

The Phillips brothers were sentenced on Monday. Anthony was jailed for 14 years and Douglas 12 years and six months. Selmes will be sentenced later this week.